NEW DELHI: The change in the working style is transforming the sarkari officer’s wardrobe. Officials in the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have to shed the habit of informal dressing and slip into formal clothing instead. Walking into the ministry in a pair of denims, strappy floaters for footwear or T-Shirts isn’t appreciated. Reporting to work at 9 am, working on Saturdays and punching attendance through biometric machines isn’t enough in the NDA government led by a PM who likes to work CEO style. Though there is no official diktat from the corridors of power, babus coming to government offices are now being asked to dress “appropriately”.
The diktat is meant both for permanent and contractual staff which comprises 50-70 percent in most of the ministries. The issue of stopping government employees from dressing up in denims, t-shirts and floaters (informal footwear) has also been discussed at secretary level meetings in a few ministries and prominently at the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“The corporate culture and efficiency that the PM has brought to government probably has resulted in senior official of ministries asking and suggesting junior officials to shun t-shirts, sandals or in some cases even denims,” revealed an official working with the union environment ministry who was asked to dress properly.
At a recent morning, when a junior official reached the entrance of the environment ministry, he encountered a top level bureaucrat. The senior bureaucrat took his photograph on the mobile phone and informally pulled him up for coming to office wearing jeans, t-shirt and sandals.
Confirming this trend, a joint secretary to the government of India, while wishing anonymity, recounted another instance when a junior official was pointed out for wearing informal clothes during a meeting.
Many officials complain that even as the NDA government is trying to transform work culture in government system by corporatising it, a good step, they need to adopt performance-based reward mechanisms to motivate employees.
Interestingly, it is not just the permanent staff which is under the official scrutiny but even the contractual staff who are employed by various union ministries. “Contractual staff is a huge workforce cutting across various ministries of the Indian government. In some ministries, contractual staff is much more than the permanent staff. But as they are not a regular part of the system, their dressing style is more casual. There have been many instances where they have been asked to dress appropriately,” the official said.
In some cases, men have been suggested to wear full sleeves shirt and neckties while female employees have been suggested to wear suits, sarees and formal western wear. A female employee in the union health ministry, working on contractual basis, said: “I have not been directly told or suggested anything as yet. But I know of officials who have got such advice.”
Most officials said that the expected changes could be the result of the corporate culture PM Modi has ushered in. There were media reports which said that a senior union minister on the way to the airport to attend an international conference received a call from Modi and was asked to dress properly for the official event as he was dressed in denims.
Some officials believe the system may not survive for long if things continue in similar fashion. “Recently, biometric machines have also been installed in many ministries. Is there anyone or any system to check if people have started working after coming to office at 9 am? Many a times, the staff starts working only around 11 even if they come early,” said another official in the Ministry of Defence.